LIE DETECTION
The caveman who told the first fib must have figured it was a great idea - until the backlash began. Early lie detectors (say, threatening to beat the crap out of a suspected liar) evolved into more sophisticated techniques like the rack and kneecapping. Though the polygraph civilized things, it proved scarcely more reliable: Practiced liars could fool it, and anxious truth-tellers set it off. These days we're more advanced, at least in our technology.
Brain Fingerprinting
How it works: The subject is shown a photo - perhaps of the yard where a murder victim was buried - while an electroencephalogram records his or her brain waves. Telltale squiggles reveal whether the person recognizes the scene.
Applications: Criminal trials and other legal proceedings. Eccentric neuroscientist Larry Farwell's machine has already been used in an Iowa court by a convicted murderer petitioning for a new trial. The test showed that the defendant, Terry Harrington, had no memory of the crime scene, but the judge refused to accept it as evidence. Lawyers will keep pushing.
Appeal: It's a hard machine to fool.
Just one problem: It doesn't work for lies that don't involve memory, like "Of course I love you" or "This is the finest used car on the market."
Thermal Imaging
How it works: A heat-sensitive camera registers increased blood flow around the eyes.
Applications: Cameras could someday read the faces of air travelers when asked whether they're carrying a bomb.
Appeal: Images can be captured at a distance.
Just one problem: Only 80 percent effective. It will go off at almost any emotional rush, like realizing that you left your wallet at home.
Functional MRI
How it works: Detects information suppression by recording changes in blood flow to different parts of the brain.
Applications: All theoretical for now. Eventually, it could apply to anything from perfectly mediated, full-disclosure lawsuits to creepy government interrogation chambers.
Appeal: It can see your brain remember things.
Just one problem: The enormous and expensive machine only works if the subject is consciously suppressing information; a self-deluding perpetrator won't scan.
Automated Face Analysis
How it works: A computer system registers and analyzes the micro-expressions that flit across the human face.
Applications: In theory, any situation where constant monitoring is an advantage: screening witness testimony, for example, or verifying responses during a job interview.
Appeal: It doesn't need a behavioral baseline, and it can be done at a distance. Good at catching even practiced liars who could fool a polygraph. Can also be used to identify suicidal patients.
Just one problem: Computers are still worse than people at recognizing facial expressions.
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